More Than One
by Princess Aziza
Summary: In the supernatural world, in the small town of Forks, there is more than one type of vampire, more than two Salvatore siblings, and more than one person who wants revenge. S&Elena, D&Bonnie, E&B, Em&R, C&Es, J&A. AU and after Dark Reunion
1. Chapter 1

**My second crossover! but it's my first story with the Vampire Diaries characters. Hope you all like. no flames, please. **

**I'm putting a quote from the Vampire Diaries in each chapter, so you guys can guess who said it, and if it's from the books or the TV show. I'll let you know the answer in the next A/N of the next chapter. And don't worry if some people aren't in here that you want to be in here, I'll bring them in later! Well, it really depends on the characters. If you want Charlie to be in here, I'll tell you right now that I'm not planning on having him in this story. He might come in eventually, but no promises! **

******Damon: That's all well and good, Ashley, but you forgot one little thing. **

******Me: Which is?**

******Bonnie: The disclaimer. You know, where you tell everyone that you don't own anything, and that L.J. Smith gets all rights to the Vampire Diaries books, and CW gets the rights to the TV show. And Stephanie Meyer claims Twilight.**

******Me: Why? You just said it for me!**

******Damon: *looks into my eyes, hypnotizing me* Say that you don't own anything.**

******Me: I don't own anything. **

******Damon: Very good. *Stops hypnotizing me***

******Me: Damon! Bonnie, got any vervain on you? *Damon glares at me* Never mind, shutting up now. READ PEOPLE! Before he kills me!****************

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**Bella POV**

I looked around as I drove past the humans' tiny houses. One of them could fit in my old bedroom! Okay, maybe that's exaggerating a bit, but still. Forks, Washington had to be one of the smallest towns I have ever seen! And in my five hundred years, I've seen a lot. And no, I'm not old and wrinkly. I'm forever sixteen. I'm a vampire, and so are my brothers. Damon is forever twenty, and Stefan is eighteen. If they hadn't been so stupid and fallen for her, then none of this would have happened. But I guess it's not really their fault, when your "girlfriend" has mind-control powers. But it's a big world, I haven't run into them often.

I pulled into my new driveway. See? Having a super-rich daddy five hundred years ago does come in handy after all. The house was small, a two-story house surrounded on two sides by trees. It was plain brown, but it'll have to do. Father wouldn't be happy if he could see what I was living in, but I really didn't care! As long as it didn't collapse on me or get a leak in the middle of a heavy rain storm, I'm good.

The door was wide open, and the realtor was waiting on the porch. When I stepped on the porch, she hopped up and held out her hand.

"I'm Janie Mallory. I just need you to sign some papers, then the house is all yours." She held out a stack of papers to me, and I took them.

"Should we go inside, where it's more comfortable?" I asked.

She blushed. "Oh, yes. All right," she said awkwardly. I stepped inside, glad that the house didn't stop me from coming in. It was embarrassing, to say the least, when you couldn't step inside a house because you weren't invited in. It happened only once before to Stefan. Never to me, grazie a Dio.

I sat down at the new table that I had ordered to be brought here three weeks ago. That was the first time I stepped foot in the house, and I realized immediately that I could remain inconspicuous and make a quick getaway out the back window once the sun set.

I stroked my necklace, a simple gold chain with five smaller chains on it. A lapis lazuli stone hung on the end of each smaller chain. I also had a couple pairs of earrings to go with it in one of my bags. I handed the papers back to Mrs. Mallory, willing her to leave so I could go hunt and admire the scenery from a bird's eye view. She stood up, shook my hand, handed me the keys, and was out the door. Once I was sure she was gone, I unloaded my car, taking everything inside in three loads. Then I put the hood up in case it started to rain. I found the biggest bedroom, which also faced the forest (my bed was away from the sun if it ever decided to show its bright sunny face). So everything was good. I unpacked my books, some of which were about a century old, my favorite dresses from five hundred years ago, and my personal items. My furniture was already here, due to over-night shipping. I had added to our bank account for centuries, so why couldn't I use the money as I wished?

I laid the final picture- a portrait of my brothers, my father, and myself, painted about a year before she came, and destroyed our lives forever. I was smiling; Damon appeared bored, but I noticed the small smile playing around the corners of his mouth. Man, whoever painted this was amazing. They got every detail, right down to the small hole in Damon's boot. Stefan was like my father, stiff and grim, but he had a little laughter in his eyes. I completely ignored the image of our father- he was too aristocratic for my liking. He thought everyone but the king was below us, and that we were one of the best families around. Whatever I did would never pleased him; he was a perfectionist. My older brothers would always praise me whenever my tutor told them of my almost perfect sewing technique when I was twelve; Giuseppe, however, was not pleased. Just because I could never manage to sew in a straight line, he would always make me try for three hours after the tutor went home, and I could never make it perfect. He threatened to send me to the school in the city, and then he would marry me off to a rich male when I was seventeen. He almost did, too; had it not been for Damon coming home that summer, I would have been married to a filthy forty year old widower. He smelled of smoke, and he was always giving me strange looks. He was undressing me in his mind, probably. Disgusting.

I pulled myself from my memories and slipped out the front door. As soon as I was behind the house, I shifted into a red-tailed hawk and flew off into the woods.

Stefan and Damon were under the misimpression that you have to drink human blood to turn into an animal. I knew better. You only had to drink enough. Damon could turn into two animals- a crow and a wolf- because he drinks human blood. I drink big animals, not squirrels, and that's how I get my power.

I soared above the trees, feeling the soft breeze beneath my wings and hearing the soft footsteps of a mountain lion nearby.

"Come on, Alice!" someone cried. I heard light footfalls, but even breathing. Strange. I landed on a branch when the mountain lion took off, running right under the tree I was perched in. A large shape crashed through the brush softly, tackling the mountain lion that was fifty feet away. Whoa. A smaller figure danced out of the trees behind the first guy.

"Emmett," she reprimanded in a tinkling voice, "you've gone and scared away all the deer!"

"Sorry, Alice," the burly shape said. He stood up from feeding, and I saw that he had muscles from one of those sports magazines. He had curly black hair and golden eyes.

I looked at the girl and noticed the resemblances. Both had the pale skin, but she was facing away from me so I couldn't see her eyes. She was shorter than me, had spiky black hair, and was wearing designer clothes. Come to think of it, so was Emmett. Must be rich, then.

"Come on, we've got to go. I've still got to hunt, and there's a new girl coming to school tomorrow."

How did she know that? I never told anyone I was coming.

"Ooh, lovely. Jessica Stanley'll be all over the poor girl, trying to get some new gossip info." Emmett rolled his eyes. "And Mike Newton will try to get her to go out with him. That kid thinks he's so cool, just because he's the quarterback on the football team. Well, our team sucks anyway, he's not helping it."

Note to self: avoid Jessica Stanley and Mike Newton, whoever they were. Not that I was going to interact much anyway. If I got too attached, I'd just be that much sadder when I move or they die.

They were on the move again. Guess that's my cue to leave. I took off after them, deciding to have a little fun. I swooped right beside Emmett's face, bringing him to a halt. He cursed. I landed in another branch.

"Alice, did you see that big-ass bird?" he cried.

Alice rolled her eyes. "Duh, Emmett. I'm not blind, of course I saw it. Why do you think I'm standing ten feet away from you?"

But I didn't scare her. That shortie sure is strange.

"Why are you so mean to me?" Emmett whined.

"Uh, have you met you, Emmett? You're easy to annoy at times."

I ruffled my feathers and headed east when Emmett threw a rock at me. Twerp. He was younger than me by at least four centuries.

One thing's for sure, I thought as I chased down a herd of deer, tomorrow was going to be interesting. Especially knowing that there were other vampires in town.

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**So? You like? The quote is actually a conversation, so TWO people say something. Tell me who originally said it, which version of V.D.'s it's from, and what was originally said. This way, I know that you're interested, and I'll keep writing! You don't HAVE to guess, if you don't want, but I put so much effort finding the right spot to put it in. Good reviews are nice, i guess. Just NO FLAMES! **

**ASHLEY**


	2. Chapter 2

**Congratulations to doodlechick12 and Twilight Diaries for getting the quote right. From the Vampire Diaries TV show: **

**Damon: "Why are you so mean to me?" **

**Lexi: "Uh, have you _met _you? You're not a nice person."**

**Sadly, at the end of the...never mind, those of you who haven't seen it. those of you who have know what i'm talking about. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Damon, Bella, Stefan, Bonnie, Elena, Katherine, the Cullens...basically, any character related to Twilight or Vampire Diaries.

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**Bella POV**

The next morning, I pulled into Forks High School's parking lot. There were several cars there already, and I felt the humans' stares on me as I walked to the office. Once inside, I noticed that the receptionist was wearing a large purple t-shirt. She was staring at me, gawking really. I looked down at my Italian jacket and jeans surreptitiously and noted that I was probably overdressed. Oh, well. At least they were on sale…her stuff probably came from Wal-Mart. Yuck.

"Hello, I'm Mrs. Cope. Are you miss Salvatore?" she asked, finally regaining her composure.

"Yes, I am. I'm here for my schedule," I told her.

She handed me my schedule without hesitation and proceeded to waste the next ten minutes of my eternity going over routes to get to my classes, handing me numerous forms to fax my "parents" and get signed. The story was that my parents were archaeologists and were away for many weeks at a time. I'd just forge the signatures tonight.

The bell rang, interrupting her. I thanked her and headed into the crowd of students fighting to get to class on time. I passed a group of girls ogling my clothes and my "beauty" (I honestly don't see the big deal; I'm not that pretty); a horde of boys nearly did face-plants into the concrete turning to look at me. I heard a soft, musical voice form behind me.

"Guys, do you see her jacket? That's Italian, as in Roma," the voice breathed. It sounded like the girl from yesterday. "Isabella's got style."

"Great, another Alice," someone muttered. Yes, my suspicions were correct. Emmett and Alice were here. I turned around and saw three pairs of golden eyes upon me.

"Great car, too," the blonde next to Emmett said. I rolled my eyes. Sure, my BMW was pretty, but my main purpose was speed; that was always the first thing I look for in a car.

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The warning bell rang just as I slipped into first period English. I handed the teacher the slip, which he signed, then he handed me my books and told me to sit wherever I wanted. I sat at the back of the classroom, ignoring everyone. Just like Stefan on his first day in Fell's Church, I was ignoring the fellow student body. I looked over the list, and realized that I had every book on the list at home. At least I'd actually like the stories we were studying, I thought to myself.

When the dismissal bell rang, I stood up and walked briskly out of the room, ignoring the muttering of the other students. It was like this in every class until lunch. When the bell dismissed us for lunch, I was intercepted by a girl about five inches shorter than me, but her curly hair made up for the height difference. She scowled.

"Isabella, why are you ignoring everyone?"

"And you are?" I replied coolly.

She sniffed. "Jessica Stanley." The gossip queen at this school, I added mentally.

"My parents could send for me at any time, requiring me to move, and I don't want to get close to people in case I can never talk to them again." I could have compelled her to go away, but then everyone else would ask the same question basically. I wondered how the other vampires handled being the subject of this pitiful high school gossip.

"Really? You know there's this thing called e-mail, right?" she scoffed.

I looked into her eyes, sighing internally. Great, and here I was promising myself that I wasn't going to use my Powers unless I needed to. Oh, well. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

"You will tell every one of your friends exactly what I have told you. No questions," I told her, watching her face go blank. I smirked and blinked, breaking the spell. "Okay?"

"Uh, yeah…bye, Isabella." She walked away in a daze. I headed the opposite way, toward the parking lot. On my way there, I passed Emmett, Alice, and three other teenagers. One was the blonde from earlier that morning. She looked like a runway model, but I overheard her talking about my car, so she might be a mechanic. Emmett's arm was around her waist.

There was another blonde, who looked like he could be her twin. He was holding Alice's hand, so I guessed they were together. He had muscles, not like Emmett's though. The last one looked younger than the other males, but with vampires you never can tell. He had messy bronze hair, and he was about six feet tall. Like Alice and Emmett, they all wore subtle designer clothes and had paler than snow skin. Another thing they had in common was their gold eyes. The bronze haired one looked at me in confusion. I smirked as I felt something knock into my shield. Mind reader. Too bad for him, he couldn't hear my thoughts. All of them looked at me as I brushed past them.

"What's with the new girl?" one of the unknown males asked.

"Edward? What was she thinking?" the blonde girl asked.

"I don't know, Rosalie," a third voice said. So the mind reader was Edward, the model/mechanic was Rosalie, I already knew Emmett and Alice, which left one unknown member.

I sat in my car for the rest of lunch, not bothering to waste money on human food. Sure, I could eat it, but there was no point. It didn't do anything for me. I decided to do my homework, so I wouldn't have to waste time doing it at home when I could do it now and get it over with. But what would I do when I got home? Probably listen to music. Oh, well. I'll think of something.

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The bell rang twenty minutes after I finished my Trigonometry homework. I dug out my schedule and saw that I had Biology with Mr. Banner next. I sighed and stepped into the pouring rain. Yes, rain was one of the few things I couldn't escape here. At least I didn't have to wear sunglasses when it was really sunny out. It made me look like a freak, since I wore them inside too.

When I got to class, I hung my jacket to dry and went to the teacher to get the stupid slip signed. He handed me a book and sent me to the last available seat in the room.

"Mr. Cullen, please raise your hand," the teacher said. So his last name's Cullen, I thought when I noticed Edward from earlier raise his hand.

I noticed him blink rapidly when I sat down, blowing my scent into his face. I smirked. I smelled good, even when I was human. Damon told me I smelled like freesias. It was amplified when I was changed.

Edward kept glancing at me all class period, trying to break through my shield. Yeah, tough luck, pretty boy. When the bell rang, he stood up, confused. I swept by him gracefully, something I would never have pulled off five hundred years ago. Well, at least something good came out of being a vampire.

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Gym went off without a hitch. I had to make sure that I didn't hit the ball too hard, breaking someone's skull on accident. Emmett was in gym class with me. He watched me all period, like Edward, trying to figure me out. Now, as I passed a silver Volvo, I saw Alice, Rosalie, and the mystery vamp leaning against it. Alice waved. I reflexively waved back. Their car and my car were the best in the lot, seeing as how we were the richest. No offense to the poor humans or anything, but when you have eternity on your hands, you tend to stock up on a lot of unnecessary things. Money and time were two of those things.

After I handed in my papers, I walked to my car across the lot from the Volvo. Edward Cullen was leaning against the door of the Volvo. The other vampires were sitting inside.

"I'll be there in a second, Jasper," Edward muttered, too low to be heard by a human across the empty lot. I got into my car and revved the engine. As I drove by, I unrolled my window and let down my shield.

_See you tomorrow_! I thought, waving. Edward jumped like an electric bolt hit him. I laughed, putting my shield back up, and sped out of the lot. Oh, yeah. This town's going to be loads of fun.

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**So Bella now knows who each of the Cullen kids are, she knows their secret, she knows Edward's power...should i have her fall in love with Edward before or after Damon, Bonnie, Elena, and Stefan come to Forks? Just wondering. Oh, and the quote is harder to spot, unless you're a die-hard fan (cough*Twilight Diaries, i'm counting on you!*cough) so don't be too sad. Remember, which version is it from and who said it? two simple things...okay, not so simple if you only saw the TV show or have only read the books. And I have got GREAT plans for this story, so if it seems a little slow, bear with me. **

**Okay? Review!**

**ASHLEY**


	3. Chapter 3

**I was going to update yesterday, but my computer wouldn't let me upload, for a reason! I was going crazy! **

**Anyway, congratulations to:**

**Twilight Diaries **

**doodlechick12**

**for guessing the quote correctly. Good try twilightlova10121. **

**The quote was from the book "The Awakening", the first Vampire Diaries book. **

**Random student: Do you see that jacket? That's Italian, as in Roma.**

**Me: On with the dis...disc...**

**Damon: Say it, Ashley.**

**Me: Damon! you're back! I haven't seen you in a while! **

**Damon: Yeah, since PriNCesSgSM threatened me with vervain, I decided to lay low. *turns* Hello, little brother. **

**Stefan: Damon. Ashley. **

**Me: *squeals silently* Hi, Stefan! **

**Damon: Are you going to say it?**

**Me: I guess. *sighs* I DON'T OWN ANYTHING! All credit for The Vampire Diaries goes to L.J. Smith, and Stephanie Meyers gets all the credit for everything Twilight-related.

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**Bella POV**

After I listened to music for three hours, picked out what I was going to wear tomorrow and Wednesday, and read _Romeo and Juliet _just for the fun of it, I decided to go hunting again. My fangs were slightly sharper than they were the other day, seeing as how I only managed to bag three deer. I shifted into my hawk form and flew outside, heading off toward Canada. I flew by a huge white house in the woods and heard people talking. Must be the Cullens; they seem to be the only ones in Forks who could afford such an extraordinary house. They were having some sort of meeting, and I was the subject. How interesting. I dropped into a tree not far from the door and listened carefully. Hunting could wait.

**Alice POV**

We were busy discussing the new girl, Isabella Salvatore. She was strange, all right. Edward got into the Volvo earlier, panicked.

_Flashback_

"_Alice, did you see anything weird about the new girl?" Edward asked as he peeled out of the parking lot. _

"_No, why?" _

"_Because I just heard her thoughts." _

_What? "How? I thought you said you couldn't hear her." _

"_Yeah, so did I. But she passed me, rolled down her window, and thought, See you tomorrow! And what's even weirder, she knew I can read minds. I think we should talk to Carlisle and Esme about this when we get home," he finished. _

"_Well, she hasn't done anything to hurt us, has she?" Emmett asked. _

"_If she poses a threat, she should leave at once," my husband stated, tense. I reached back and rubbed his arm. _

"_If she doesn't want to leave, we could take her out easy!" Emmett was looking forward to a fight. _

"_I don't think it'll come to that," I whispered as we pulled into our driveway. _

_End Flashback_

And that is how we came to be wondering if the new girl was dangerous. I kept insisting that I would have seen something if she was any danger, and Esme and Carlisle were inclined to believe me. My visions have never been wrong before, save those moments that somebody changed their minds instantly.

Jasper suddenly looked out toward the living room, his forehead wrinkling.

"What is it?" Edward and I automatically started using our powers, Edward scanning the forest for foreign thoughts and me flipping through images of the future. I saw me and Isabella Salvatore sitting in a room, laughing. But that was it. Nothing menacing, nothing disastrous.

"We'll be fine," I said.

"I felt someone out there, they were amused." Jasper was still alert.

"Is the Salvatore girl out there?" Rosalie asked. Edward's head swiveled around to face her.

"I'll check," he said. He walked out the front door. Emmett and Jasper followed him, as they were the best fighters in the family. Edward was a strong fighter, too, but he relied on his mind reading abilities, and Jasper had been in the army before and after he was changed. Emmett was just really strong.

"Well?" I asked once they came back in.

"Just that stupid bird from the other day," Emmett grumbled.

"What?" Carlisle asked.

"A bird practically attacked Emmett Sunday," I said nonchalantly.

"Why would a bird attack a vampire?" Rosalie asked, confused.

Bella POV

After the Cullen boys went back inside, I flew around back and saw a whole wall made of glass. A smaller window was nearby, and I sat on the corner of the ledge, not being able to come in. Alice Cullen was the only one I could see completely. She shrugged in response to Rosalie's question. She looked out the window and saw me. I held her gaze.

_Come outside, _I willed her silently. Edward's head jerked around to look at Alice.

"What?"

She didn't answer his question. "I'm going for a walk. I'll see you guys later." Alice stood up.

"Not until you tell me why I heard Isabella Salvatore's voice in your head!"

Alice ignored him, and the gasps from the others, but walked to the door until Emmett blocked her path. She was soon being restrained, hissing at her brother figure.

"Let me go!"

_I just want to talk to you. I won't bite. I give you my word. _I mentally smirked.

Edward glared out the window.

"She won't hurt me! She gave me her word." Alice was still struggling to get loose.

"Emmett, let her go," someone else, a female, said. Jeez, how many vampires were there in Forks?

I noticed that Edward nodded, and Alice skipped out the door a few seconds later.

"Where are you?" she called.

_Follow the hawk, _I thought before I flew off through the woods. She followed me until I came to a halt in a small clearing near a lake. I landed in a branch ten feet high, and released her from the compulsion. She blinked an looked around.

_Sorry about that, _I apologized, _but I had to get you out of there to talk to you._

She jumped. "Isabella Salvatore?"

_Just Bella, please. 'Isabella' sounds too formal._

"What…how did I get here? And where are you?"

_I told you to follow me. As for where I am, look up. _

She looked up and saw me. "You're a hawk?" she whispered.

_Yes. _

"Why didn't you just talk to me in front of my family? Why did you mind control me into coming out here?" she demanded.

_I prefer 'convinced.' Mind control's too harsh. I can't talk to you in front of your family because I'd like to tell them what I am on my terms. _

"Your terms? You realize that, with that little stunt you pulled, my family, Jasper and Edward especially, won't trust you. I suspect they are following me even as we speak."

_Yes, and apparently your dear brother can hear me. Because I speak directly into your mind, and he hears every thought passing through your head, he can hear what I'm saying to you. _

I heard their footsteps approaching. Alice spoke the words aloud.

"They're here."

_Yes, _I acknowledged dryly. My brothers would do the exact same thing for me.

"_Alice!" _Jasper cried, stopping in front of her and pulling her into a bone-crushing hug. "Are you okay? She didn't hurt you, did she? I'll kill her!"

"Jasper, I'm fine. I promise. She just wanted to talk to me," Alice assured him.

"Where is she?" Emmett asked, ready for a fight. Sucker. Everyone else, including a caramel-colored woman and a blonde who looked like he could be Jasper and Rosalie's father if they were younger, were right behind him.

_Up here_, I called mentally. Emmett jumped.

"Holy crap! I'm hearing voices in my head!" he cried. I laughed in my head.

"Emmett, it's the Salvatore girl," Edward snapped.

I was offended. _I have a name, you know! _

"Come out here and face me!" Emmett cried.

"She's not going to hurt you!" Alice glared at Emmett.

_As you wish. By the way, Alice, whose side are you on, you little hypocrite? _I joked as I flew a few inches from Emmett's face, just like the other day. He swatted at me but missed. I landed in a branch and switched back.

"Now, is that any way to treat a lady?" I reprimanded lightly, enjoying the looks of horror, fascination, amazement, shock…the list goes on and on. I laughed and jumped to the forest floor.

"YOU were the bird who almost rammed me the other day?" Emmett cried. I shrugged.

"You can't think a real hawk would get that close to you and not turn tail, did you?"

I caught his fist as it flew toward me, using his momentum to flip him behind me. He huffed as all of the air in his lungs left him.

"I wouldn't try that again if I were you," I hissed menacingly. He got up and, ignoring my warning and Alice's cry of "No!" proceeded to attempt to pounce on me. I moved out of the way, grabbed him by the throat, and shoved him into a tree. Rosalie growled and tried to attack me, but Edward held her back.

"I'm older than you, and that means I'm stronger." I squeezed his throat extremely tightly, then relaxed my hand. "Try anything like that again, and I will kill you. Do you understand?" I growled, my fangs starting to elongate. He nodded, and I let him drop in a heap to the ground. I turned to glare at the other vampires.

"We're done here." I changed my form again and took off into the night, but mot before sending one last thought to them all.

_If anyone wants to talk to me, send Alice. She's the only one I trust.

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_

**Sorry if this wasn't the ending you were hoping for. I had another segment all planned out, but the story wrote itself. Or maybe Damon and Stefan had something to do with it? *raises eyebrows***

**Damon: Sorry, Ashley. Not this time. **

**Stefan: How can she turn into a HAWK? She drinks animal blood. **

**Me: Well, stay tuned to find out! Oh, man! I sound like one of those cheesy announcers on the radio! **

**Stefan: Okay, now the quote.**

**Me: Ah, yes. Once again, from one version of Vampire Diaries. Name the version (TV or book), the original quote, and who said it. I'll give you a hint: It's from the same part as the first quote I hid!And review! Happy hunting!**

**Damon: You stole my line!**

**ASHLEY**


	4. Chapter 4

**The people who got the quote right last chapter: **

**zeroone12, ****TwilightRocks, ****I Love Damon, ****Twilight Diaries, ****EllieGirl, vampdiaries711, doodlechick12**

**It was from the TV show. **

**Lexi: I'm older, and that means stronger.**

**Okay, here is chapter 4. I hate writer's blocks. i had a chapter half typed up, but i didn't like it, so i went back to change it. Didn't work the way I wanted it to, so i threw in a new character. **

**sorry for the delay. **

**Elena: Well, it's out now. That's all that matters. **

**Damon: Could you update a little faster next time? **

**Bonnie: Damon! She's only human. **

**Damon: So? **

**Me: Thanks for trying to help, girls. But Damon doesn't listen when he doesn't want to.**

**Damon: Someone understands me, at least. **

**Disclaimer: I AM NOT GETTING PAID FOR ANY OF MY STUFF! All characters belong to their respective owners.

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**Bella POV**

I flew through the woods as long as my anger fueled me until I found a river near the base of a mountain. I glided over the water before landing on the branch of an elm, about thirty feet away. I sat there until the rain started up again; as it did, I heard footsteps. I almost sent out a burst of Power so I could find out who it was.

Then I remembered I didn't know what the Cullens' essences felt like. Well, that's not helpful.

The footsteps grew closer, and I could tell they were not Alice's. They stopped, and I sensed someone below and to the right.

"You're a vampire, aren't you?" a voice called up softly. I nodded, never looking away from the light rain and the rushing river in front of us.

"Yes."

"But you're a different type of vampire."

Hoping he would get the hint, I stayed silent. He didn't move.

"I told you guys, only Alice could talk to me," I finally said, realizing the other vampire wasn't going anywhere.

"Alice told me to come after you. It's quite difficult following your scent in the wind." He chuckled, like he knew something I didn't.

"And so you waited until I landed and she told you where to find me," I guessed. He shrugged, neither confirming nor denying it. I sighed.

It was silent for a few minutes, each of us lost in our thoughts, until I dropped from the branch and walked over to him. He just stood there, waiting for me to talk.

"I'm sorry about earlier; I didn't mean to get into a fight with your brothers."

"Why?"

Thinking I knew what he was asking, I answered, "I guess I inherited some of my father's temper."

Edward smirked and shook his head. "No, why did you mind control Alice-"

"Convinced."

"-okay, _convince_ her to follow you?"

I shrugged. "You are the only other vampires in town; thought I'd introduce myself."

"By manipulating Alice?" he said skeptically.

I frowned. "I heard what you guys were saying about me. I didn't like it; plus, I wanted to talk to Alice. She seems like someone I could get along with easily."

Edward wrinkled his nose. "You don't like shopping, do you?" I smiled slightly.

"Not at all. If the shoe fits, as the saying goes, I will be happy to wear it. And if it's comfortable. I have a few designer things, but not all of it is fancy. Nothing from Wal-Mart or K-Mart, though." I pretended to gag. Edward laughed a little at my antics.

"I must agree, those are two stores I will never set foot in."

More footsteps approached. "Bella!"

It sounded like Alice, and she seemed frantic.

"Over here!" I called, wondering what her problem was. She dashed into the clearing, took one look at Edward, and growled. I raised an eyebrow. "Alice, why are you growling at your brother?"

"That's not my brother," she hissed.

I turned to Edward and narrowed my eyes at him. He grinned and his features started to contort. I rolled my eyes as he shifted back into his normal self, shrinking to about my height.

He started clapping when he was back to normal. Green eyes glittering with mischief, red hair sticking up everywhere, Puck cackled. "That was priceless. Her face!"

"Puck!" I cried. "That wasn't funny."

"Sure it was."

Alice gaped. "I take it you know him."

"Yeah. Where do you think Shakespeare for the character in _A Midsummer Night's Dream_?"

"I always thought that was from his imagination." Alice was taking this rather well, I thought. She could have stood there like an idiot for the rest of eternity.

"No." I turned to Puck. "Why didn't you just call me?"

Puck pouted. "It wouldn't have been as fun!"

I rolled my eyes. "Alice, are you planning of snapping out of it anytime soon?"

"Sure. Give me a minute." She blinked, shook her head, and looked at me. "You are friends with the infamous Robin Goodfellow?"

"Yes."

"So you knew William Shakespeare?"

Puck and I nodded.

She inhaled slowly. "Okay. So we get to tell Carlisle that you were around when- holy crap!" She pointed her finger between the two of us. "You're older than Carlisle!"

"Yep."

Puck cleared his throat impatiently. "Bella, you told me to tell you if anything changed between your brothers."

I focused on Puck now. "Are they okay? They're not hurt, are they?"

He waved his hand. "No, no. In fact, I'm pretty sure you'll like this." He grinned. "They teamed up and got rid of Klaus."

My jaw dropped. "You're kidding!"

He shook his head. "Nope."

"But…but…he's, like, invincible!" I felt lightheaded. I sat down.

"Bella, are you okay?" Alice asked, worried.

I smiled up at her. "Excellent. Long story short, I have hated that no good excuse for a vampire ever since I met him."

"Oh." She tilted her head. "Okay."

"Okay, ladies. I'll be off now. Oh, Bella? If you see someone who looks like Katherine, don't try to kill her."

I stood up shakily. "Why?"

He grinned and started to disappear.

"Puck!"

"Bye, Bella! Your brothers are fine. In fact, they're happier than you think." And he was gone.

It was silent besides the sound of falling rain for a while. Suddenly, I turned and kicked the trunk of the tree I was sitting in not long ago.

"Damn him! He always does that."

Alice waited until I calmed down, then said, "I'm sure Carlisle has a few million questions to ask."

"And what makes you think I'll willingly walk into the lion's den? You brothers and sister hate me. Don't even get me started on Jasper."

She shook her head. "It was self-defense, Bella. Jasper won't hurt you because I won't let him. Emmett gets over things pretty fast, so once he knows for sure you're not a threat, he'll want to wrestle with you. Rosalie and Edward will be the hardest to convince. But they'll come around." Alice smiled a little. "Now, can we please go back to my house?"

I thought it over. Maybe if I brought a peace offering, I won't be attacked the instant I walk through the door. After all, two on one was not a fair fight.

Alice grinned and pulled me with her. "Let's run. Last one there's a rotten egg!" She let go and started running. "And no shifting!"

I shook my head and raced after her.

**Edward POV**

Jasper was pacing around the room, and it was getting on everyone's nerves. It didn't help that the waves of anxiety he was casting off was strengthening our own worries.

"Jasper, I'm sure she's fine. You know Alice can take care of herself," Esme said.

He sighed. "She went after the Salvatore girl. I don't care what anyone says, she's dangerous. And I will not risk Alice's safety just so she can have a new friend!"

_Nice to know he thinks I can't pick my friends, _Alice thought sarcastically.

My head snapped up in the direction of the front door. "She's coming."

Jasper visibly sagged with relief. "She's all right, then."

_Of course I'm all right. Bella won't hurt me. _We could hear her footsteps now.

"Bella," Alice called from outside, "you coming?"

"Sure, just give me a minute. I thought I saw some…" her voice trailed off.

"Okay. Well, I'll know when you want to come in."

The door opened.

"Alice!" Jasper hugged her tightly for the second time that day. "Will you quit running off and scaring me like that?"

Alice scowled. "I thought Bella was in trouble; I saw Edward talking to her, but Edward was in the living room at the time. Turns out it was an old friend of hers that can shape shift."

"Well, you're back, and Bella's okay. That's all that matters." Esme always looked on the bright side of things.

Alice grinned and kissed Jasper softly. "Bella wants to come in. Is that okay?"

Emmett, Rosalie, and I stiffened. Isabella Salvatore wanted to come into our house, after what she did? Did she have a death wish or something?

"As long as nothing happens, it's all right," Carlisle said.

"Oh, come on! So my temper got the better of me for ten seconds. You can't honestly say that the same hasn't happened to any of you," Isabella grumbled from behind the door.

Alice yanked open the door. Isabella stood there with a few handfuls of vervain.

"Hello, Isabella," Carlisle greeted, rising and going over to them. "I'm Carlisle Cullen, and this is my wife, Esme. I take it you already know the rest of my children."

"Bella, please." She shuddered. "Isabella was what my father would call me."

"May I ask why you have vervain?" Esme asked from beside Carlisle.

"You may. It's for protection."

"Protection?" Esme's eyebrows raised. "We aren't in danger, are we?"

Bella shook her head. "No. Unless you run into another one of my kind, who would manipulate you into doing something you would regret."

Carlisle looked a little shaken. "Why don't you come in?"

She smiled. "Thank you."

**Bella POV**

I stepped over the threshold and into the Cullen house. It was beautiful inside, even more so than the outside.

"You have a very beautiful home, Esme," I said, laying the vervain down on the coffee table. Everyone kept their eyes on me, probably making sure I didn't do anything stupid.

I rolled my eyes to myself and picked a few leaves off some vervain. "Alice, do you have a locket?"

She put an onyx locket beside the vervain. I flicked it open and put a few leaves in it, then closed it and handed it back to her. She clipped it around her neck.

"Ready?" I asked her. She nodded.

My fangs jutted out as I looked her in the eye. "Alice, go upstairs and burn all your clothes," I said, trying to get her to obey me.

She gasped in horror. "Why would I do that?"

I grinned. "It works."

"Impressive," Carlisle said.

"Thank you, Carlisle. If you would like to put some leaves in your wrist-""Why did you call him Carlisle? Why not Mr. Cullen?" Rosalie snapped at me.

I laughed. "Call somebody _Mr. _when they're younger than me? I don't think so."

"How old are you, exactly, Bella?" Alice asked.

"I was born in the late fifteenth century." I shrugged. "My brothers are still older than me by a few years. I'm the baby of the family."

"You're older than Carlisle, Edward, and Jasper combined!" Emmett cried. "No wonder you beat me so easily."

Alice rolled her eyes, as if to say, _Told you so._

"Why did you manipulate-"

"Convinced!" Alice and I said together.

"-all right, _convince _Alice to follow you?" Edward asked.

I blinked. "Wow. Puck must have been spying on you guys recently, if he knew you were going to say that. To answer your question, I was bored and lonely. Five hundred years is a long time to wander the earth, company coming and going. People who accept you for what you are- well, they're hard to come by." I snickered. "Plus, Damon and I have always been ones for dramatic entrances."

"Damon?" Emmett asked.

"My eldest brother." I glanced outside. ""I've gotta go. The sun is going to rise in approximately four hours and twenty-two minutes."

"You aren't going anywhere. We've got a lot more questions for you," Jasper said forcefully.

I shrugged and stifled a yawn. "Okay. Well, excuse me, but I really need to get some sleep. I haven't slept in over twenty-seven hours."

"You sleep?" Emmett asked.

"Emmett!" Esme reprimanded.

"It's all right, Esme. Yes, I sleep. Don't you?" They all shook their heads. "Interesting." I yawned again.

"Bella, come on. You can sleep in my room." Alice was almost squealing at the thought.

I shook my head and sat down in the nearest chair. "Very comfy." I closed my eyes.

"Bella, you can't sleep there," Esme said as if from a long way off. I tried to shrug, but I was asleep before I could speak again.

* * *

**Me: There, Damon! Happy? **

**Stefan: Damon left. **

**Me: where'd he go? **

**Bonnie: Dunno. He's upset because he wasn't in this chapter. **

**Me: *rolls eyes* He was _mentioned! _It's better than nothing. **

**Elena/Bonnie: That's what we said! **

**ASHLEY**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi people! I'm back! Oh my gosh. My Internet's down- I have been telling everyone this, so don't be telling me to update soon- and I am forced to take my dad's laptop to the library. Only twice a week. Sucks! **

**The second season of VD has started! So awesome! **

**Did ANYONE find the quote? **

**From the first book, _The Awakening. _**

**Stefan: I was born in the late fifteenth century.**

**Well, now that you know why I haven't updated in God remembers how long...**

**Damon: No.**

**Elena: Yes. **

**Bonnie: What? **

**Me: *smirks* He's happy because you guys are in this chapter and I put a part in his POV.**

**Stefan: Well, now that that's settled, Ashley owns nothing. Although she would one day like to become an actress and meet Ian and Nina and Paul and a whole bunch of other actors and actresses. **

**Me: Party pooper.

* * *

**

**Elena POV**

Damon, Bonnie, Stefan and I were just lying around in Stefan's room at the boarding house, not knowing what to do, when Damon's head flew up.

"Someone's out there." He looked at Stefan. "It's Puck."

"Puck, as in the mischief maker from _A Midsummer Night's Dream_?" I asked. She nodded, opening her eyes.

Damon stalked over to the window and threw it open. "Puck! What are you doing here?"

A man with red hair and green eyes was floating outside the window. He pouted, but I noticed a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Fine," he sniffed, "if you're not interested in hearing about Bella-"

Damon cut him off by grabbing his shirt and yanking him to the edge of the windowsill, so that his face hovered just a couple of inches from Damon's.

"What about my sister?" he hissed. Stefan stiffened.

I raised an eyebrow. Stefan and Damon had a sister? I wondered why they never told me about her. Bonnie was watching Damon; her lips were pursed.

"Well, she's in a rainy place, in North America- that's about all I can tell you."

Damon shook him. "There is a hell of a lot more you could tell me. Like what town she's in, what state, how she's doing, et cetera."

"And what's in it for me?" Puck smirked, actually enjoying ticking Damon off. I was surprised he wasn't dead for real yet.

"You continue your existence," Stefan said bluntly, moving to his brother's side. Oh, so that explained it. He was the only one who had answers.

Puck sighed theatrically. I actually had to give him credit. If anyone else had been on the receiving end of Damon's glare, they would be running in the opposite direction as fast as possible. Damon squeezed the other vampire's throat.

"All right! Forks, Washington. She's doing fine, although she was a little mad when I saw her, but she got over it pretty fast. She's hanging out with another type of vampire." Wait, there was more than one type of vampire? "Find them, you find her." And with that, Puck faded out of Damon's grasp.

"Damn that trickster!" he snarled, clutching thin air.

"You have a sister? Why didn't you tell us?" Bonnie asked, hurt that they apparently didn't trust us enough to tell us this beforehand.

"We haven't exactly seen her in over fifty years," Stefan said, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly and sitting on the edge of the bed.

Damon snorted. "Speak for yourself. I saw her just before you came to Fell's Church. And we've kept track of each other- with Puck's help, of course. She also had him keep an eye on you."

Stefan's eyes widened. "And you never told me?"

Damon shrugged. "Nope. We weren't talking to each other, and then there was the whole deal with Katherine and Klaus…" He trailed off. Then he grinned wickedly. "Well, it'll be interesting, to say the least."

"What will be interesting?" I spoke for the first time in a while.

"Oh, just what our darling baby sister will do to Stefan because he hasn't been man enough to face her in over five decades."

Stefan actually looked…nervous.

"She's that scary?" Bonnie asked doubtfully with an eyebrow raised.

"Oh, Bella can be scary when she wants to be. She's even had Damon trembling in fear on occasion." Stefan looked at his brother with one eyebrow raised.

"I taught her well," Damon said proudly.

"And I was grateful at the time." Stefan's face got dark momentarily, then he furrowed his brows and his leaf green eyes cleared. "But when we get there, I fear for my health."

"That's what you get for not talking to your only sister in God knows how long," Bonnie and I said together.

"Enough chit chat! Talk later, pack now. I wanna see my sister." Damon swung Bonnie onto his back and jumped out the window.

"Damon wants us ready in two hours, so we'd better start packing. He's going to make the plane reservations."

"But it's almost ten!"

"So we'd better start packing." Stefan rose from the bed. "You and Bonnie can sleep in the car, and on the plane." He kissed me lightly on the lips, then pulled away. I grabbed his hand.

"Where do you think you're going?" I pulled him closer and kissed him deeply. He laughed lightly and pulled away so I could breathe.

"Come on, we have to get packed- otherwise Damon will yank us out of here with nothing but the clothes on our backs."

I shook my head, but helped Stefan haul a couple of suitcases out of the closet and began packing long sleeves, jackets, and jeans- after all, Puck said it was a rainy town.

* * *

**Damon POV**

I pulled up to the boarding house in the Ferrari exactly two hours after we left and sent Stefan a telepathic message to get his butt out here. Bonnie was already dozing off in the front seat.

"Bonnie," I chuckled, "you'll get a kink in your neck."

"Hmm?" She blinked sleepily. She looked so cute. "Damon, c'mon. Five more minutes."

Stefan and Elena walked out of the boarding house at that moment, Stefan carrying their two suitcases. I saw Elena yawn.

"What is it with you humans needing to sleep every eighteen hours?" I rolled my eyes. Humans were so fragile.

"Not all of us can be machines, Damon," my little bird muttered sarcastically.

Stefan laughed. Elena looked at him, probably wondering if he lost it. He was nice, though, and relayed the conversation. She rolled her eyes, but smiled slightly. I popped the trunk and my brother put their stuff with ours while I was the perfect image of a gentleman and held open the back door for Elena.

_Get a pillow_, I thought to my brother. He tossed me a pillow and slid with vampiric grace into the back seat. I handed Bonnie the pillow, and she tucked it under her head before falling asleep.

"How long before we get there?" Elena asked with her eyes closed.

I shrugged. "We'll need to hunt before we get on the plane, unless my little brother wants to find a nice human to-"

"An hour," Stefan cut me off. I lightly glared at him in the rearview mirror as I started the car and sped out of the driveway.

"Well, I want to drive when we get to Washington."

I almost hit the brakes in shock. "Hell no!"

"Why not?" Elena asked.

"With you driving, it would take about ten to get there, and I could get us there faster." My voice made it very clear this topic was not open for discussion.

"Besides, you might scratch the paint or something," Stefan said, smirking. I growled lightly.

"Real scary, Damon," Bonnie murmured sarcastically. I looked over at her for a second, my face softening. She always calmed me down- the only person in the world, besides Bella, who could. And Elena every once in a while.

Stefan laughed softly as I rolled my eyes and the car whistled past the sign that read _Welcome to Fell's Church_.

* * *

**Bella POV**

I blinked, wondering when I got on this nice bed. I distinctly remembered falling asleep in the chair.

"Good morning!" a perky voice chirped.

I looked around the room- one wall with a vanity table and a door leading to what I assumed was the bathroom. The other wall had a door which was more than likely a walk-in closet. The walls were a nice beige color and the carpet was ivory. The bed had chocolate brown covers.

"Come on, get up and dressed. It's a school day, remember? We have exactly half an hour before school starts. I went over to your house and grabbed your backpack, your clothes- not bad, by the way- and your car. Now, go take a shower and get dressed." The owner of the voice- Alice- left.

Twenty minutes later, I was out of the shower and putting on my pale blue turtleneck with jeans and dark blue flats. Thank God I decided to hunt on the way back here last night. I really didn't want to be late or risk feeding off of a human.

"Cute!" Alice squealed, handing me my backpack. "Now, let's go!"

Edward, Rosalie, and Emmett had already left, so Alice and Jasper had to hitch a ride with me. Alice immediately called shotgun, and I was obviously driving, so Jasper reluctantly got in the backseat.

_I don't get why you don't trust me, Jasper. I've already proven I won't hurt her, or your family. And as long as she wears that necklace or has vervain on her, no other vampire can control her mind, _I thought to him as I drove down the road.

"Because you compelled her to follow you yesterday. You could have hurt her." I noticed he had a thin leather bracelet on his left wrist, with a circular charm on it. I knew instantly it held a few leaves of vervain.

_Yes, but I could have also hurt your brother yesterday. Both of which did not happen. Besides, Alice trusts me._

It was silent for a few minutes. "I'll trust you when I trust you, not one moment before."

I smirked. "You're just like Damon."

"Will you two quit with the one-sided conversations?" Alice said exasperatedly, throwing her hands up in the air.

I smirked again. "Sorry, Alice."

"I thought she was projecting into both of our minds," Jasper said, confused.

"I could have, even with the vervain, but I didn't. It's called a private conversation for a reason."

I pulled into a parking space right next to the Volvo. Edward was waiting for us, so as soon as the car stopped he held the door open for Alice. She hopped out daintily. Jasper took her hand after he got out and together they were off into the school building, probably going to find their "siblings".

"Bella, you have five minutes to get to the office and hand your stuff in," Alice called over her shoulder. "See you at lunch!"

I shook my head and grabbed my bag. "Are you going to stand there all day or are you going to go find your family?" I asked after noticing that Edward hadn't moved.

"Actually, I was going to accompany you to the main office."

I tilted my head. "Spying?"

"No, walking with you."

"Observing."

"Quit analyzing it," he said calmly, but years of living with Stefan revealed the hint of anger underlying his tone. I walked to the office with Edward next to me. It was silent for the entire walk, but he was a nice enough gentleman to hold the door open for me.

"You know," I said softly after we left the office and headed toward first period, "men these days are pigs. Not that they weren't pigs back in the fifteenth century, because they were, but they were more subtle about it. But at least then they behaved like proper gentlemen. They didn't just do stuff for women to get into their pants."

"What brought this up?" Edward asked, slightly amused, slightly disturbed.

"Memories."

"What kind?"

"1997. This man by the name of Corbin- don't remember his last name- tried to corner me after work one day. I was working in a bookstore at the time. He helped me put some books in the back room a day before I had to move and cornered me against a wall. He almost had me, but I told him to get the hell off me and to stay away from me. The next day, I left town."

Edward pursed his lips. I waved goodbye and ducked into English class.

* * *

I met up with the Cullens for lunch. Emmett and Alice talked to me the most, but Jasper occasionally contributed to the conversation. Edward didn't speak at all, and Rosalie either threw death glares at me or ignored me altogether. I didn't buy anything, but I ate their fries and pears. They looked at me with wrinkled noses.

"How can you eat that stuff?" Jasper asked, breaking the awkward silence.

"Just can. It doesn't do anything to or for me, but some of it tastes good."

Alice gasped. Her eyes glazed over. I waited for her to come out of it; when she did, she was grinning.

"School dance in two weeks. The theme's the Renaissance era. Everyone at this table will be attending."

I could feel my eyes sparkling when she mentioned the theme for the dance. I had the perfect dresses.

"And what happens if we don't?" Edward spoke for the first time since lunch began.

Alice and I turned our heads toward him. "You're coming."

He raised his eyebrows.

"Even if we have to drag you," Alice and I continued in unison.

"How do you two do that?" Emmett asked. "It's kind of creeping me out."

"We were twins separated at birth," I joked.

* * *

Alice insisted that we ditch the rest of school after lunch and that I come over to their house. Carlisle had a lot of questions for me- which I didn't understand, since Emmett told me he didn't get home until about seven. But the reason for skipping came shortly after we pulled into the drive.

"Hey, Bella," Alice said conversationally as we got out of my car, "we're going to have visitors in a few hours."

"How many visitors, Alice?" Esme asked, appearing in the doorway.

"Four. Two males, two females."

"They aren't dangerous, are they?" she asked worriedly, glancing between Alice and Edward, who just walked up from the garage. They both shook their heads. Edward's head turned to Alice.

"What do you mean you had the vision last night?"

She just winked.

"What do they look like?" I asked as we walked inside, remembering Puck's mention of a Katherine look-alike.

"One has blonde hair and eyes the shade of that stone in your necklace." Alice pointed to my necklace.

Katherine's twin, all right. Or Katherine herself.

"The other female has curly red hair. I didn't get a good look at her eyes. The males are almost identical, but the one with green eyes is a bit taller than the one with black eyes. Their hair color's the same, but one has wavy hair-"

"My brothers are coming to Forks? Together?" I breathed, putting the pieces together but hardly daring to believe it. They had actually made up after all these years?

She nodded excitedly. "Yep!"

"Seriously?"

She nodded again, then covered her ears. Everyone else took her hint and did the same.

I squealed so loud that bats would be able to hear it.

* * *

**Me: Okay...dying here.**

**Elena: Stefan, you're going to crush her! **

**Stefan: Sorry. *releases me* **

**Me: 'S okay. **

**Damon: So we get to see our baby sister again. **

**Bella: Yeah, and you aren't fighting! *hugs them***

**Me: Maybe I'll be mean and have you wait a couple of chapters...**

**Damon: *glares***

**Me: Eep! Okay, sticking to plans! You're finding her next chapter. **

**Damon: That's better. **

**Anyway, EVERY SINGLE CHAPTER has a quote- unless I say otherwise. So...find it! :) **

**3 ASHLEY**


	6. Chapter 6

**Oh my gosh. I haven't updated for weeks! :( Sorry folks. The laptop that had my latest chapters died and the charger broke. BUT I'M NOT DEAD! Which is good news. Oh, and the laptop's back up. Obviously. :) **

**Last chapter's quote: "After all, you might scratch the paint or something." -Matt ****Vampire Diaries, The Struggle**

**People who got it right: **

**Twilight Diaries**

**If anyone else did and I didn't mention your name, congrats. **

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of this; just having fun. **

**And now...what you've all been waiting for!

* * *

**

**Stefan POV**

"Thank you for flying Delta Airlines. Please, enjoy your stay in Seattle," the man over the intercom said.

"I really wish they wouldn't say that every single time. How many times do they actually mean it?" Elena huffed. Bonnie nodded in agreement.

"Hey, do you think the pilots are actually vamps in disguise?" she asked softly as we walked off the plane. Damon snorted from beside me while I shook my head.

"None of us would be stupid enough to spend all of eternity as a pilot. Besides, we'd have sensed them if they were strong enough- and weren't shielding themselves."

"Or if they're Bella," I added. We followed Elena and Bonnie through the crowd to the luggage rack.

"What do you mean?" Elena asked.

"Bella has this mental shield that keeps everybody out of her head, unless she takes it down," I explained.

"Good for keeping unwanted guests out of your head-"

"Sucks when you want to get in touch with her," Elena finished for my brother. We nodded. I grabbed Elena's suitcase and mine when they came around, and Damon snatched his and Bonnie's. He led the way to the buses, and before long we were filling out the forms to rent a red Mustang until Damon's Ferrari got here. The blonde at the front desk was flirting with him, which resulted in Bonnie giving her the death glare.

_What's so funny? _

I was trying to fight a smile as I answered. _Bonnie is not too happy right now with the way- _I looked at her nametag discreetly- _Jennifer is looking at you. _

Damon leaned up and handed Jennifer the papers with a smirk while simultaneously grabbing the keys off the counter. Her heart skipped a beat…or three. Then he slinked back over to Bonnie's side and wrapped an arm around her waist, kissing the top of her head lightly. Bonnie stifled a giggle at the look of fury on Jennifer's face and hugged Damon. He tossed me the keys as we walked outside. Elena outright laughed once we got in, and Bonnie soon joined her. Soon, I maneuvered us out of airport traffic and we were speeding away to Forks, Washington. It was nice and cloudy, so Damon and I didn't have to wear our sunglasses.

"You realize that pretty soon, we'll be having the last laugh, right?" my brother asked dryly from the passenger's seat.

"No, why's that?" Elena asked innocently.

"Because you look like a certain blonde the three of us knew very well (and Bella despised) and you-" he pointed to Bonnie- "are my unofficial girlfriend."

Bonnie's mouth dropped open in shock. "Actually, I think your sister will be having the last laugh," she said finally, sticking her head between the front seats to look at Damon in the eye.

"Why's that?" he asked as he stole a kiss.

She sat back, and in a satisfied voice said, "Because nobody that knows you would ever expect you to have a girlfriend!"

* * *

**Bella POV**

"When will they be here?" I asked, jumping on my toes.

"Soon. Depends on traffic, and a couple of other factors, but they will definitely be at this house by the time the sun sets," Alice said with certainty. "Carlisle's coming."

"Really?" Esme stood up and greeted him at the door with a hug and a light kiss. They looked like the perfect couple, I thought with a sharp pang.

"Hello, Bella," Carlisle greeted me, seeming unsurprised to see me here.

"Alice called you, didn't she?" I deduced.

He nodded.

"Well, it's still a few hours till sunset," I observed, thrilled to see my brothers again. Although I wasn't really happy with Stefan avoiding me for all these years- I hadn't seen him since 1952.

Carlisle sat down in the recliner, and my eyes were drawn toward his wrist- like all the other Cullen men, he had a leather bracelet with the circular charm to hold vervain leaves. "I hear your brothers are coming for a visit, with two girls."

I nodded enthusiastically. "I can't wait to see them. It's been too long since I've seen Stefan."

"While we're waiting, tell us a bit more about them. How did they become vampires, anyway? And you, for that matter." Carlisle looked very interested.

I closed my eyes, the exuberance I felt fading fast. I collapsed on the couch next to Alice. "The blonde bitch-"

"What's wrong with blondes?" everyone interrupted at the same time, either offended or angered.

"If you'd let me finish- the blonde bitch, A.K.A. Katherine von Swartzchild, the sweet little darling of some idiotic baron from Germany who sent her our way to recover from a terrible sickness." I spat _her_ name and the rest of the sentence, then finished in a mock-sad voice, "Poor girl."

"She turned you?" Jasper asked, confused. I was ready to just yell at them to shut up, when a wave of calm flowed through the room. He was the walking mood-ring, I remembered from their conversation not twenty-four hours ago.

"No! She turned my brothers, and Damon turned me."

"Why?" Rosalie was disgusted. "Why would your own brother damn you to this life?"

"There are four reasons why my kind of vampire turn someone: one, we need someone to do our dirty work. I've met some that were turned for that reason. The vampire wars in the South- the humans were turned for that reason. Two, revenge-never really understood that one. Three, boredom, but we all know that never turns out well. Then there's the obvious; that you love someone so much that you would do _anything _to spend all of eternity with them."

"So was he bored?"

I looked at her sadly. "You don't get it, do you? He turned me because he knew what I was going to do. He wasn't ready to lose me."

"What do you mean?" Esme asked. I could hear the fright in her voice.

"How many of you know what life was like for a woman over four hundred years ago?"

"I don't remember my human life at all," Alice said in a whisper.

"That might actually be a good thing," I answered.

"Do the thirties count?" Rosalie asked dryly.

"Nope, can't say I do," Emmett said.

"Civil War era. Women had very little rights back then," Jasper recited seriously.

"You sound like you swallowed a history textbook," Emmett complained.

"You don't know." It was a statement, but almost everyone shook their heads no. Carlisle looked at me with sympathetic eyes.

I inhaled sharply. "Yeah, it was bad."

"You don't have to tell us if you don't want to," Esme said kindly.

"No, it's the only way you'll understand why my brother turned me. My father was an aristocrat. He thought just about everybody was below him. Including his own daughter. He was never satisfied with anything I did- be it sewing or behaving like he thought a proper lady should act. The men of that day thought ladies should be seen and not heard; like dolls on display. He started lining up suitors for me when I was ten. He almost succeeded, too, a few months before my seventeenth birthday." I smiled vindictively. "My brothers scared them off, though. And then we became vampires."

Something brushed my shield, soft like a bird's wing. I stiffened and dropped my shield.

_Damon? _

_Bella! _my brother greeted me. I could just imagine the way his face (mainly his eyes) would light up- even though I hadn't seen him that way in centuries, I still held onto the memory. _Where are you? _

I closed my eyes and pictured a three story Victorian-style white house surrounded by trees and a river out back. _Find me. _

_Bella! _

I slammed my shield back into place.

"Was that your brother?" Edward asked.

"Yes. He is in town, and looking for me."

It's a small town; it won't take long, especially if they ask around," he said doubtfully.

"But how many people have you invited over for dinner?"

Alice grimaced. "We don't eat humans."

I rolled my eyes. "Neither do I." My brows furrowed; I should probably tell Damon to lay off the hunting, though.

I dropped my shield for a second. _No hunting in town, _I thought, then put it up again before he had a chance to respond. I felt a surge of satisfaction from his end of the link, though. My eyes widened in realization.

"No!" I whined. "Damn it!"

"What?" Esme asked, concerned.

"Now they'll be on me like a bloodhound with a scent. We can feel essences- that's how we know if another vampire's around. And I let my shield down, meaning he can track me." I sighed and leaned back.

"What's the big deal? I thought you wanted to see them," Emmett said.

"It's a game. Every time Damon and I are close to each other, I send him a clue as to where I am, and he follows it. But I have to stay put until he finds me. And if I trail him, he can move around all he likes- as long as he stays in town and doesn't enter a human's house. Those are the rules."

"What about when you meet your other brother? Stefan, was it?" Carlisle asked.

I shrugged. "Him, I go out and find."

"Why?"

"He'll tell you for himself," I said evasively.

"Okay, what happened with Katherine von What's-Her-Face?" Emmett asked.

"Long story short- she played with both of my brothers like a cat with catnip. She exchanged blood with them both. They asked her to choose, because they both wanted to be with her forever, and she chose both of them. So they hated each other from that moment on. and the next morning they went to talk to her. Her maid told them she went out to the garden to think. They went out to find her, and Stefan found her. Or, what she left for them." I said all this emotionlessly, but anyone who knew me would be able to see the scorn in my eyes switch quickly to sadness.

"I saw Katherine earlier that morning, just after sunrise, going into the garden. She had her white dress over her arm, a piece of parchment in one hand, and an urn in her other hand. I hid behind the bushes and watched her lay her dress on the ground, right underneath her tree. She took the urn and poured some ashes in and around it. I could smell the ashes from my hiding place- it smelt like burnt flesh. She put her ring on a rock a little ways away, and the parchment next to the sleeve. It didn't make sense to me at first. She ran away faster than I could see. Then it hit me. She was faking her death, probably hoping that her death would heal the rift she herself had created between my brothers."

I drew in a shuddering breath. "I went to chase her- I searched all over for her, until I heard Stefan and Damon calling for her. They were out by the lemon tree."

"Oh, my goodness," Esme breathed. I barely heard her. I was watching the dreaded scene play out in my mind.

"I raced after them as they ran to the house, blaming each other for her little trick. It seemed they were fooled. Stefan was clutching something in his fist; the ring- and Damon was trying to get it. They were shouting the most horrendous things at one another. I tried to stop them, but they were too fast for me, and it didn't help that I couldn't walk without tripping over my own feet back then. They had their swords in their hands, and they were fighting in the courtyard. Father was shouting at them to stop from the third story- like that would help, I remember thinking. But then he started down the stairs.

"Servants were wondering what could have happened to make them act like this. I screamed at them, begged them to stop; but either they were too busy trying to stab each other's hearts out to hear me, or they just ignored me. They were stronger and faster than usual that day- the vampire blood was still in their veins. As Father reached the second story window, Damon slipped past Stefan's guard and stabbed him straight through the heart."

Everyone gasped. Alice lightly touched my shoulder.

"I saw Stefan collapse, as Damon yanked his sword from him. I was at the edge of the courtyard, frozen, but I ran to him as he fell. Everyone was screaming, except for me. I was too shocked by what had occurred. Damon leaned over him…"

"And Stefan stabbed him," Jasper finished.

I blinked, realizing for the first time that tears were silently pouring down my face. "Through the heart. They were both lying on the ground when I reached them. Stefan was already dead. I turned Damon over, and he blinked. I saw the light go out of his black eyes." I laughed bitterly. Someone handed me a tissue, and I dabbed at my eyes with it. "It took them over twenty minutes to get me away from the bodies. Even though I knew they drank vampire blood, I didn't know how it worked. They laid the bodies next to each other in the family crypt. Damon and Stefan told me they barely had enough of her blood in them to change; they were too weak to fight. Stefan tried to talk to Damon, but he ran into the night."

"Where'd he go?" Emmett asked.

I grinned, the tears dry. "My room. He crept around back, scaled the walls, and found me ready to hang myself from the chandelier. Father was going to marry me off to a fifty year old pedophile and I didn't want to live like that if my brothers were 'dead'. I told him to drink from me, because he was really thirsty. He took a little too much, so he fed me some of his blood before he left. Then I heard the maid shouting that she saw Stefan. I ran downstairs, tripped over the hem of my dress, and died falling down the stairs."

Esme gasped.

I grinned. "Worked out for the best. I got away from my father and traveled the world. Occasionally I ran into my brothers. But they still ho-_held _a grudge against each other because of you know who. But now, if Alice's vision is correct, they've finally made up."

As if on cue, a wolf howled outside. My head swung around to face the wall made completely of glass. Out on the other side of the river was a black wolf.

"Damon!" I cried excitedly. I was out the glass doors before any of the Cullens could speak. The wolf's form was shifting, shrinking. A crow emerged from the darkness and flew straight at me. I laughed in delight as the crow became a man before my very eyes. Straight black hair, eyes black as a starless night, about a head taller than me.

Damon grinned at me and grabbed me, swinging me around in a circle. "It's good to see you again, Bella. And not only for ten minutes."

I reached up to tap his nose as he set me down. "Not my fault you talked to me for a mere ten minutes before setting off for Virginia. It's been how long since we've had a proper conversation? Twenty years?"

"Something like that."

I looked around. "So, where's Stefan? And those two girls?"

"Stefan is driving the car. How do you know about-"

"That would be me," Alice cut in. She stepped forward, and I saw Jasper was keeping a wary eye on her. I realized all the Cullens had come outside.

Damon noticed Jasper's look, too. "Who's the blonde?"

"Which one?" I asked dryly.

"The one that looks like he's ready to take my head off if I make one wrong move," he said lightly.

"Oh, that's my husband, Jasper." Alice stuck out her hand. "Alice Cullen. Psychic of the Cullen family."

"Damon Salvatore. Pleasure to meet such a charming young lady." He greeted her as they had back in the sixteenth century- he took her hand and kissed the back of it lightly. Alice smiled. "You're sweet," she said. "But not sweet enough, I'm afraid."

Damon actually looked impressed with her.

"Damon, where's Stefan?" I asked again; really unnecessary, because he walked around the corner of the house as soon as my sentence was out. He was about three inches taller than Damon, with wavy hair instead of straight, but the same shade of black as Damon's. His green eyes twinkled as he smiled. I hugged him tightly as soon as he was close enough.

"Good to see you, Bella."

"You, too, big brother," I whispered into his chest.

"She knows about the girls," Damon told Stefan from behind me.

"Not all of it," Alice sang. "She knows one of them looks like Katherine, but that's it."

Stefan pulled out of the hug, but kept his arm around my shoulder.

"Elena, Bonnie," he called loud enough for humans to hear. I heard hearts pounding, two presences on the edge of my shield- they were nervous.

"What did you tell them?" I asked with a raised eyebrow. I faced Damon as they came around the corner.

"Stefan looked nervous when we talked about coming to pay you a visit." He smirked.

I rolled my eyes and turned around, then froze mid step.

"Damn! Puck wasn't kidding," I exclaimed when I saw the blonde.

"Bella, I'd like you to meet Elena Gilbert." Stefan waved his hand in the direction of the blonde, even though she and the other were still about an arm length and a half away. I noticed the Cullens had slipped back inside.

She had dark blue eyes, hair even more pale gold than Katherine's had been, her eyelashes darker. Her eyes held independence, not the childlike and submissive look Katherine had.

I pursed my lips and my eyes narrowed on their own accord. She met my eyes. A shiver went up her spine, but she held my gaze.

"Bella," Stefan warned. I blinked, releasing her, and smiled.

"I like her," I said simply. "I can tell she's not like her doppelganger at all."

"And the redhead behind her is Bonnie McCullough," Damon said with a wave of his hand. A girl with curly red hair that came up to Elena's chin rolled her eyes and walked straight up to me, holding out her hand. She was trembling slightly, but her brown eyes met mine unflinchingly, and I smirked a Damon-like smirk as I took it. I had respect for both this Bonnie girl and Elena.

"Bella Salvatore. Pleasure to meet you." I turned my back on them, catching my eldest brother's eye. "She your new flavor of the week?"

Bonnie snorted. "Please. We've been dating since July 19th. Going on two months." She grinned smugly as my eyes flickered between her and Damon.

"Seriously?"

They all nodded.

I started laughing. Once I started laughing, I couldn't seem to stop. Pretty soon, I was on the ground at Stefan's feet, clutching my sides.

"You done?" Damon asked.

"You, with a permanent girl? I never thought I'd see the day."

"Told you she'd get the last laugh," Bonnie said.

* * *

"So, Bella, how exactly did you find out your brothers were crushing on a vamp?" Emmett asked some time later. We were all sitting down in the living room again.

"Ah, the beauty of being seen and not heard. Helps you blend in more," I smiled. "And the fact that I saw her bite one of the servants one evening."

Stefan shook his head. "You amaze me."

I rose and curtsied. "Thank you."

"That reminds me!" Alice cried suddenly. "We're having a Renaissance era-themed dance at school. You guys should come."

My face lit up. "That's a great idea!"

"I don't know…" Stefan looked at Damon warily.

"He's not going to kill anyone, are you, Damon?" I asked pointedly, raising my eyebrows.

"Hey! I only killed Tanner because he stuck a knife in me. If he hadn't done that, I'd have wiped his memory and left him alive." Damon raised his head arrogantly.

"Yes, well, we have a truce with the werewolves down at La Push-"

"Wait, there are real werewolves in Forks?" Damon cut Carlisle off.

"Shifters," Edward corrected.

"Ah."

"And that means that we can't bite or kill a human without starting a war."

"You mean I've gotta watch what I eat?" he complained.

"Damon," Bonnie and I said warningly.

"Fine. I'll behave." He grinned maliciously. "But if I've got to go on a temporary veggie diet, Stefan's got to get more meat on his bones."

We were all confused, until understanding dawned on me. I growled.

"Stefan…"

He raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"What did you last eat, and when?"

He bit his lip.

"Couple squirrels and half a Bambi the night before we left. Maybe a couple of Thumpers," Damon supplied cheerily. The Cullens' eyes widened.

Stefan scowled and glared at our brother. "Thanks."

"Outside. Now." I pointed to the glass doors. When he didn't move, I grabbed him by the back of the shirt and yanked him up.

"Are you forcing me to go hunting?"

"Yep. And I'm going to watch the whole time." Carlisle perked up. I knew what he was thinking. "And if you come with us, you have to stay in a tree." He nodded.

Stefan groaned. "Now I'm going to have an audience?"

"Yep," Damon said, sitting back smugly. I glared at him.

_You're going to keep your mouth shut if you join us._

"Watch your back, Damon," Elena warned. "If you don't behave, I'll wreck your Ferrari when it gets here."

Damon looked at her, appalled.

"She would, too," Edward said, speaking for the first time in a while. First, she'd take the key and scratch it all over. Then she'd find the nearest cliff with rocks under it and push the Ferrari in."

Elena's eyes widened. "How-"

"Mind reader," the Cullens chorused.

"Let's go, Stefan!" I dragged my reluctant brother out the door, with Carlisle and Damon behind us.

* * *

**You like? **

**I rewound the DVD five times to make the quote almost correct; I added a bit and changed a word or two. So if you loved her, it shouldn't be too tough to find. **

**3 ASHLEY**


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